


Introductions

by ResidentHesitant



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance
Genre: Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Off-Screen Attempted Murder, One-Sided Awkwardness, Origin Story, Underage Drinking, ghoul's implied crush on party, party poison's terrible driving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 13:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12772500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ResidentHesitant/pseuds/ResidentHesitant
Summary: Ghoul's first encounter with Cherri Cola, and his second, about a year later.





	Introductions

The Lobby is an ever-shifting mass of neon and the underground thrum of bass. Bartenders serve alcohol as droids chat up the people they hope will be their next customers. Glitter flashes, the party goes on, the flickering motel lights never stop anyone from having a good time.

Ghoul’s mom is going to kill him. She just wants best for her son, and he’s wandering through the tunnels beneath the city at four in the morning, definitely tipsy, the world spinning under his feet. Everything is turquoise and hot pink and lemon and black, lights streaking Ghoul’s vision like a high-exposure image. The only thing telling him that he’s headed towards the exit is the trail of signs in bright red above all the oversaturated color. He leans heavily against a wall, looking back down an endless hallway, concrete and metal door frames. He can still hear the beat from the main room of the club, now just a dull pound in the back of his mind. A silhouette stumbles from the furthest door, back-lit by strobe lights, and starts to walk in Ghoul’s direction.

They’re playing a song with words Ghoul doesn’t really understand. He just wants to get back to his mom's convenience store and go the fuck to sleep. The figure comes into view, red exit sign casting dramatic red shadows over his face. He’s young, Ghoul can tell, even through the alcohol (fuck, what did he even drink?) clouding his vision; he’s taller and older, though. They didn’t even check Ghoul’s ID when he got into the club. The bouncer just made sure that Ghoul didn’t have a gun and wasn’t a spy. His ID was clearly fake, too, claiming him to be twenty when he’s still five years off. The older kid stops a few feet away from Ghoul, just staring. He doesn’t look sober.

“What?” Ghoul says, glaring up at the kid. He’s got this bleached streak in his already sandy-brown hair and dog tags around his neck. There is a bandage around his bicep, slightly bloodied. This is not the crowd Ghoul was trying to get mixed up in.

“You the kid sellin’ Sunburn?” he asks. Ghoul had only ever heard of Sunburn, from the Lobby punks that hang out in the subway tunnels Ghoul haunts. They were all wannabe killjoys -- Ghoul feels like a wannabe.

“Sunburn? The stuff city waveheads use?”

“Trigg said you were the one sellin’ it,” the guy says, scowling. Oh, shit. “The kid with the long black hair and green vest.” Ghoul took a step back, catching himself on the wall. Trigg was the one at the bar that had tried to hit on him, the one Ghoul had quickly turned down. They were pissed, but Ghoul escaped before they could do anything. So they sent a junkie after him. Awesome.

“You got the wrong guy,” Ghoul says gruffly, ignoring the oncoming headache. His mom was going to kill him. He tried to continue down the hallway, but the guy grabs his elbow, pulling him back. He spins Ghoul around, one hand gripping the front of his shirt, pushing him against the wall. Ghoul’s head hits the concrete and he hisses in pain. The guy leans in close.

“I know what Trigg told me,” he snarls; Ghoul can smell the alcohol on his breath.

“They told you the wrong thing,” Ghoul growls back, teeth gritted.

“ _Don’t_ lie to me!” The guy was getting louder, pushing Ghoul into the wall for emphasis. Someone at the end of the hall starts walking down towards them. Ghoul’s going to die, probably. “I _know_ you got the shit, man, you better hand it over before--”

“Cherri.” The figure at the end of the hall has gotten close enough, and places a hand on the guy’s, Cherri’s, shoulder. She looks older than Ghoul, older than Cherri, with bright pink hair that matches the neon down the hall. “He doesn’t have it. Let him go.”

Cherri sighs but lets go, gives Ghoul one last glare, and starts to go back down the hall. Ghoul sinks down, sitting on the cold floor, legs close to his chest.

“Doin’ alright, kid?” the woman asks, crouching down to his level. She seems nice enough; she doesn’t seem like she’s about to kill him. “I’m sorry about Cherri, he’s new to killjoy life. You okay?”

“Think ‘m drunk,” he admits to his knees, “M’mom’s gonna kill me.” The woman laughs, it’s a nice sound.

“You should get home then.” The woman stands, offering a hand to Ghoul. He takes it and she pulls him to his feet. “You got a name?”

“Fr-- Fun Ghoul.” He had to learn to start using his new name more often. He’s never introduced himself as Fun Ghoul before. He’s never met a real killjoy. “I’m Fun Ghoul.”

“Get yourself home, Fun Ghoul,” she says, her smile still easy, “I bet your momma’s real worried.” Ghoul nods, murmurs a small thanks, and starts back down the hall. Follow the exit signs. The thrum of bass gets quieter. He climbs the stairs, exits through a door, walks onto a silent city street. A purple droid smoking a cigarette on the corner waves at him and smiles. He doesn’t wave back.

Four streets away, his mom’s store stands, darkened. He goes through the alley door and up to their apartment. The woman had called herself a killjoy, a _real_ killjoy. The world was still spinning under Ghoul’s feet. His mother is sitting on the couch when he opens the door, and yells at him until a light goes on in the building across the alley. He apologizes for coming home so late, for going out and getting drunk, for making her worry. She says he has to work two shifts in the store tomorrow, but gives him a hug before he goes to his room.

She’s the only thing keeping Ghoul in the Lobby. She’s the only reason he hasn’t run away yet. She’ll be heartbroken if he ever does.

* * *

 

“We gotta get to Tommy’s before dark,” Jet calls, “He’s got some supplies he’s willing to sell cheap for today only.”

“Gimme a moment!” Ghoul says, putting down his wire cutters, “Be right out.” It’s weird to have a stationary base. It’s weird that Ghoul has his own room, even if it is just a giant closet. It's weird that they trust him; they’re not like his last group.

They’re not going to knock him out and leave him in the sand to die.

And they let him build explosives. That’s always good. He’s doing that right now, or at least, was, before Jet said they had to leave. He leaves the half-finished bomb on the table and walks through the gutted-out kitchen, into the main diner, and through the front doors. Party yells at him from the driver’s side window.

“Hurry up, motorbaby, we’re burnin’ daylight!” they yell, motioning for Ghoul to get in the car. He’s stuck in the back, again, but with Jet this time, since Jet’s letting Party drive. All of this feels like a bad idea. Kobra is sitting shotgun in their decked-out (stolen) Draculoid car, asleep. He’s not going to stay that way, not with how Party drives. Ghoul has been here for three months, now. He just kind of learned these things.

Soon enough they’re off, headed towards Tommy’s store. Tommy doesn’t like Ghoul. That’s okay, though, Ghoul doesn’t mind. A lot of people don’t like him. Party likes him. Party was the one that let him join the team. Party was the one to dig him out of the sand, give him some water, bring him to the diner. Ghoul likes Party. It’s nothing serious, though. Party also drives like a crazy person; that’s one thing that Ghoul doesn’t like about them.

They make it to Tommy’s store while the sun is still midway through the sky. Kobra is not happy about being awake; Party hit a pothole in the already-dilapidated road, jolting the whole car. The bell rings as they walk in, and Tommy Chow Mein looks up from the counter.

“About time you showed up, Jet Star,” Tommy says, looking the group over. His expression visibly changes from slight boredom to obvious displeasure when he sees Ghoul. Ghoul gives a sheepish wave, and is ignored wholeheartedly. Tommy turns towards the door to the storage room. “Hey, Cherri!” he barks, “Bring out the box marked ‘Jet Star!’”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it!” a voice shouts back. Ghoul has heard that name before, Cherri. He can’t remember why it’s familiar. It’s not a name he’s heard any of the guys use before. A young man, older than Ghoul but still young, comes out, holding a crate of supplies. He places it on the counter and looks up, flashing a grin at Ghoul. He’s got sandy brown hair with a bleached streak, and dog tags around his neck.

Oh, fuck.

It’s the kid from the Lobby. The junkie.

“You okay, man?” Cherri says, “You look a little pale.” Ghoul only realizes after a moment that Cherri is talking to him, and that he has frozen in place.

“I- I’m fine,” Ghoul says. Party turns and looks at him, raising an eyebrow. “Have we met before?” Yes. They have. Were they both intoxicated at the time? Definitely.

“Don’t think so!” Cherri chirps, giving him another grin, “I’m Cherri Cola. You must be Ghoul. Party’s told me all about you.” Ghoul glances at Party, who looks away. Jet finishes up the transaction, picks up the crate and starts to leave. “I’ll probably see you around, yeah?”

“Uh, yeah.” Fuck, this was awkward. Ghoul was making it awkward.

“Bye, then!” Cherri gives Ghoul a wave and one more smile, before disappearing back into the back room of the shop. Party gives Ghoul a look that said “What was that about?”; Ghoul waves them off and shakes his head. Cherri seemed like a perfectly friendly guy.

If Ghoul was lucky, he’d never have an encounter like their first one again.

**Author's Note:**

> its almost the anniversary of danger days! i really wanted to write about the lobby and what i saw for part of ghouls backstory  
> leave comments/kudos if you enjoyed!! <3  
> find me on tumblr @probablypartypoison!


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